Table serving for medical treatment of the human body



G. SCHWALBE Nov. 24, 1953 TABLE SERVING FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THEHUMAN BODY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1949 In ve n in Nov. 24, 1953e. SCHWALBE 2,660,495

TABLE SERVING FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF'THEJ HUMAN BODY Filed June 22,1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ii? r.-

E345 111 ii JLT aa 5a i -i Q/{ ll 17 Invenfar NOV. 24, 1953 SCHWALBE2,660,495

TABLE SERVING FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THE HUMAN BODY Filed June 22,1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICETABLE SERVING FOR MEDICAL TREAT- MENT OF THE HUMAN BODY 2 Claims.

The invention proceeds from a new therapeutical intuition of theapplicant; it specifies the new technical means serving to bring apatient in a distinct position for causing a special therapeuticaleffect and to support him in this position.

The therapeutical intuition consists of occasioning a physiologicalreflex unknown until today, influencing the respiration by means of thepneumo gastric nerve decisively and thus being of main importance forasthmatics, by bringing the human body in a distinct position and supporting it at distinct points of the body. This position named by thecatchword knee-elbowhead-support-position, is identified by a nearlyhorizontal position of the body, face turned to bottom and knees bowed.The supporting of the body at particular spots is to cause unloading andthus loosening distinct groups of the muscles and on the other hand tocause tension of distinct other groups of muscles. Supported are: thehead, the elbows, the bowed knees and the shanks. Thus the upper part ofthe body is not directly supported by the new apparatus. That the namedsupports of the apparatus are adjustable is essential for the invention,not only with respect to the difference of size of the bodies but alsoas the physiological reflex striven for does not always happen in thesame position of the bodies and for that reason the chance must be givenof altering the relative adjusting of the supports 1. e. their heightand the distance between each other and their angles when the patient ison the support.

The reflex of respiration remains in function as long as the adjustedposition is maintained, its good after-effect lasting several hours atleast (in serious pathological cases) generally several days and oftenseveral weeks after it has been caused. The reflex consists of highlyintensifying the respiration by means of optimally ventilating thelungs. This is particularly striking in connection with patients therespiration of whom lies down nearly entirely-with serious asthmaticsfor instance. These can be brought to intensified respiration at oncejust as even nearly all persons suffering from illness ofrespiration-organs and of the heart. Outstanding healing-successes havealready been reached.

The invention is of a further great medical importance. The inventorfound out that in the new knee-elbow-head-support-position theatmospheric pressure in the true pelvis indicatable by a manometercausedby arbitrary application of the force exerted by the abdominal musclesof the human body (i. e. tension of muscles 2 of the abdomen whilerespiration stopped) reaches nearly double as high an amount as in usualhorizontal position (face turned to top). Thus the stage of expulsion inlabor can be much shortened by this support-position What is of greatimportance for mother and newborn baby.

Preferably the supports are arranged to be moved by the doctorsingularly. Thus the supporting position of the patient can be alteredwhen the patient is already on the support.

A simple structure of the new support will be given by the followingfeatures: the knee support is vertically adjustable in the frame of thesupport; the height and angle of the shank support are adjustable in theframe of the support and this support is linked at the knee-sup port;the heights of the elbow support and of the head support are separatelyadjustable in an auxiliary frame, the horizontal position of which isadjustable in the frame of the support. The elbow-support willpreferably be formed by two articulated parts so that one part iscapable to be unfolded and tilted, thus bringing the forearms of thepatient to an inclined position. The unfoldablc part of theelbow-support can be supported in various positions on the head support.Manually operated means, such as cranks are provided for moving thesupporting elements.

On the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the new support;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the support along the line II-II ofFig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2 along the line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section along the line IV--IV of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 isa view of several parts along the section-line VV of Fig. 3.

The main parts of the new table are: a supporting frame iii, a headsupport ii, elbow-support it, knee-support it and shank-support l l.

Frame it has legs is with the rollers it.

A carriage means 11 is movably mounted located in frame it by means ofrollers 13, that run on rails it) fixed in frame It. On the carriage ITa rack 26 is guided on which head-support II is mounted turnable aboutan adjustable angle. A pinion 22 serves for altering the height ofhead-support ll, its shaft 23 carrying crank 24 on its end.

The carriage ii is fitted with four pipes in which the guide-rods 26 canslide which support the elbow support means. This elbow-support means iscomposed of two parts i2, 28 which are foldable and pivoted at 21. Alever 29 for instance can be supported on the rack 26 in position 29'.Rack 2% contains a number of holes 30 and a stud bolt holding lever 29in position 29 can be put in. Thereby, the elbow support l2 can be heldin an inclined position with respect to the only vertically movableelbow supporting member 28 by holding means 26, 29.

Rod 3| is fitted with a thread and axially movable but not capable ofbeing turned within the spindle 32 having inner threads. The spindle canbe manually turned by means of crank 33 connected to the spindle bymeans of cardan joints 34, 35 and coupling rod 36. Frame ill of thetable has slots 31. Carriage I! can be secured against unintendedhorizontal motion by pressing it tightly against the side wall by meansof awing headed nut 38 and bolt 39 which passes through slot 31.

The knee support means is similar to the elbowsupport means and consistsof two foldableparts i3, 4!. The knee supporting member 4! is guided bymeans of rods 42 within vertical pipes 4'3 that are fixed in the frameI6. The threaded rod 44 and a spindle 115 having an inner thread servefor altering the height of the knee supporting member 4!, the spindle 45being turned by crank 41 and shaft 45. The knee support i3 can be raisedto the inclined position shown in broken 7 lines in Fig. 2.

The shank support [4 is connected by pivots 48 to knee support member4|. The rods 50 are linked by pivoted rods 49 to the shank support 14.and slidably engage a rod 52 in slots 5|. The,

rod 52 extends horizontally in a pipe 53 which is supported in frame 10,the rods 59 sliding on the ends of the pipe 53. Rod 52 has a, head 54 onone end. Its other end is equipped with thread 55 bearing a nut 56capable of being turned by hand and serving as holding means. The rods50, are pressed against the ends of pipe 53 by turning the nut 56, thusthe rods being held in the adjusted position by friction. The brokenlines If, 50' of Fig. 2 show the adjusting range of the shank support.Middle part 51 of the shank support [4 is removable. This feature isimportant for medical applications in connection with obstetrics.

I claim:

1. A table for treating a patient in crouching position, comprising, incombination, an elongated supporting frame; a knee supporting membervertically movably mounted on one end of said supporting frame; a shanksupporting member pivotally mounted on said knee supporting memberprojecting beyond said one end of said supporting frame, said shanksupporting memher being tiltable about a transversal horizontal axisfrom a downwardly extending inoperative position to an upwardlyextending operative position; carriage means horizontally longitudinallymovably mounted at the other end of said supporting frame for manualmovement towards and away from said other end of the same; an elbowsupporting member vertically movably mounted on said carriage means; ahead support vertically movably mounted on said elbow supporting member;first manually operated means mounted on said supporting frame meansengaging said knee supporting member for vertically moving the same;second manually operated means mounted on said carriage means andengaging said elbow supporting member for vertically moving the same;third manually operated means mounted on said elbow supporting memberand engaging said head support for vertically moving the same; andclamping means mounted on said supporting frame means for holding saidshank supporting member in said operative position.

2. A table for treating a patient in crouching position, comprising, incombination, an elongated supporting frame; a knee supporting membervertically movably mounted on one end of said supporting frame; a kneesupport pivotally mounted on said knee supporting member tiltable abouta transversal horizontal axis from a horizontal position to an inclinedposition in whichthe end thereof located nearer to said one end of saidsupporting frame is higher; first manually operated holding meanssecuring said knee support in said inclined position; a shank supportingmember pivotally mounted on said knee supporting member projectingbeyond said one end of said supporting frame, said shank supportingmember being tiltable about a transversal horizontal axis from adownwardly extending inoperative position to an upwardly extendingoperative position; carriage means horizontally longitudinally movablymounted at the other end of said supporting frame for manual movementtowards and away from said other end of the same; anelbow supportingmember vertically movably mounted on said carriage means; an elbowsupport pivotally mounted on said elbow supporting member tiltable abouta transversal horizontal axis from a horizontal position to an inclinedposition in which the end thereof located nearer to said other end ofsaid supporting frame means is higher; second manually operated holdingmeans securing said elbow support in said inclined position; a headsupport vertically movably mounted on said elbow supporting member;first manually operated means mounted on said supporting frame meansengaging said knee supporting member for vertically moving the same;second manually operated means mounted on said carriage means andengaging said elbow supporting member for vertically moving the same;third manually operated mea'ns mounted on said elbow supporting memberand engaging said head support for vertically moving the same; andclamping means mounted on said supporting frame means for holding saidshank; supporting member in said operative position.

GEORG SCHWALBE.

ReferencesCited in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7Number Name Date 1,261,42 Miller Apr. 2 1918 1,448,477 Williams Mar. 13,1923 Evins Jan. 2,09l,0 l4 Saak Aug. 24, 1937 2,267,054 Thompson Dec.23, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 808,146 Germany July 12,1951

